The invention relates to a padded or protective garment for the hip area, and more particularly to a shock and stress protective garment that can be worn comfortably and can disperse forces directed toward the hip area, absorbing such forces in the vulnerable regions of the hip.
There are over 300,000 hip fractures each year in the United States. Additionally, there are many other types of hip joint injuries that result in pain. Complications associated with hip injuries, such as pneumonia, can result in disruption of normal life, substantial medical costs and even death. These fractures and other injuries are particularly common among the elderly, who experience degenerative changes in bone and tissue structure with advancing age. The degenerative changes become much worse after a hip fracture. In view of ever increasing life expectancies, the number of injuries of this type and the costs associated with them can be expected to increase with time.
The hip joint is an enarthrodial or ball-and-socket joint formed by the reception of a ball-shaped head on the upper or proximal end of the femur into a cup-shaped cavity in the pelvis called the acetabulum. A fall or blow to the hip bone area, if the area is unprotected, can result in body tissue injuries, dislocation of the femur head from the acetabulum, and fractures of the acetabulum or various parts of the proximal femur or other damage in the vicinity of the hip. Particularly vulnerable is the so-called greater trochanter which protrudes outwardly from the proximal femur just below the joint and the adjoining thin neck of the femur. This region is relatively poorly protected by muscle and other body tissue in comparison with the regions of the hip surrounding it. In fact, the greater trochanter is readily accessible to the touch, its position being generally indicated by an elevation in the hip area due to the thinness of the tissues that cover it.
Prior art garments that are capable of providing a measure of protection with respect to these problems are usually difficult to apply and uncomfortable to wear. An effective hip area shock and stress protective garment that is effective, light, sufficiently comfortable to wear for extended periods of time including while sleeping at night, and cosmetically acceptable when worn under clothing during normal daytime activities, is not available.
Commonly invented and assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,009,565, herein incorporated by reference, discloses an undergarment incorporating pads of shock-absorbing foam material protecting the hip joints of the wearer. An object of the present invention is to further improve on the garment shown and described therein.
In one aspect of the invention, a protective garment for being disposed against a body to absorb shock and protect selected regions of the body against the shock comprises a protective area for protecting a region of the body disposed adjacent the protective area against the shock and a nonprotective area for providing structural integrity to the garment while providing substantially little protection against the shock to a region of the body disposed against the nonprotective area of the garment. The protective area comprises closed-cell foam material with a density of 10.0 to 13.0 lbs/cu. ft. (160 to 210 kg/m3), a compression resistance of 9.0 to 13.0 psi (60 to 90 N/m2), and a tensile strength of at least 150 psi (1000 N/m2).
In another aspect of the invention, a protective garment comprises a pair of undershorts with a pair of pockets round the sides. A pair of pads of shock-absorbent foam material are placed in and located by the pockets. The pads are so located as to cover the enarthrodial joint regions of the hips of the wearer, extend upwards as far as the hip-bone, and each pad extends horizontally to cover at least one quarter of the circumference of the wearer.
The garment according to the invention may be an orthopedic padded garment, especially protective underwear, a post-surgery placement garment, or geriatric wear for protecting bones and joints, adaptive clothing for the disabled or physically challenged, padded clothing, athletic clothing, or protective clothing, especially pants, shorts or an undergarment. When the garment is athletic clothing, it may be suitable for use in, among other sports, football, hockey, skiing, skating, basketball, baseball, or soccer.